No. 27 Here I Brew, and Here I Bake
A ring of children clasp hands by clenching fingers; a single child within the circle repeats the rhyme, making appropriate gestures over successive pairs of hands; at the last words he (or she) throws himself (or herself) against what is thought the most penetrable point.
Here I brew and here I bake,
And here I make my wedding-cake,
And here I must break through.
The following is a different version:
Here I bake and here I brew,
And here I lay my wedding-shoe,
And here I must and shall break through.
If the first attempt is not successful, the player within the ring runs to attack some other point. After the ring is broken, the child on his right continues the game. In New York, a violent form of the same sport goes by the name of “Bull in the Ring.”